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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · saw · stick · cold · vault · can · march · season

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. season — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cold — an illness
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. march — music
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — the month
  17. can — a tin
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cold — not warm
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. vault — a safe
  23. season — of the year
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com